Volunteers needed to plan Clifton's 100th anniversary

The city is looking for committee members to volunteer and help prepare for the 100th anniversary of Clifton’s founding in 1917.

Mayor Jim Anzaldi said he thinks 60 to 80 people will be needed to coordinate the numerous events that will take place throughout the 2017 calendar year, headlined by a parade to commemorate Clifton’s past and celebrate the present and future.

Similar celebrations were held in 1967, the 50th anniversary, and 1992, the 75th anniversary.

Anzaldi, who was 17 at the time of the golden anniversary, said he remembers it well.

"I still remember where I watched the parade, sitting along Park Slope as the floats passed by the stadium," he said.

The anniversary in 1967 was known as the Golden Jubilee celebration. Floats in the parade reflected Clifton’s farming history and industrial might.

Anzaldi said he remembers local businesses adorned with banners and an inspiring Fourth of July fireworks display.

There was even Clifton Day at Yankee Stadium on April 30 of that year. The Yankees split a double header with the Angels and Mickey Mantle hit a home run.

The 1992, during the 75th anniversary, Anzaldi was in his third year as mayor of Clifton. He said he expects that some of the people who helped plan that year’s anniversary to be back this time around. That year the city sponsored trips to the statue of Liberty and the Meadowlands racetrack.

"That day we had a race dedicated to Clifton," he said.

Anzaldi said he hopes to host the first committee meeting sometime in March. From there volunteers will be divided into sub committees assigned to specific tasks including organizing the parade. Fundraising will require a major effort.

"It’s a major celebration with events all year long. With so much going on, so much still to be decided, this is not too early to start planning," said Anzaldi.

Possibilities include a "golden book" rich with pictures of a Clifton that is hard to imagine now. A time before traffic cops were replaced by traffic lights and Allwood Road was the main highway in the City.

One thing that residents can count on is an unforgettable Independence Day.

"Maybe we can get a firework that will light up the number 100," Anzaldi said with a laugh.

In 1969 the city buried a lockbox in Jubilee Park filled with letters and mementos including an official city history, maps of old Botany Village. Anzaldi said it will be unearthed as a part of the centennial.

Will he be the one to open up the chest?

"If I’m here," he joked.

Anyone interested in volunteering for the centennial committee should contact the City Clerk at 973-470-5825.